A Sister's Secret
by Lozzie
Summary: Joey finds out that Serenity is bulimic but he doesn't know what to do. **Completed!** Pls Read and Review!


A Sister's Secret  
  
AN I uploaded my story wrong so here is the revised version - completed. Sorry! Pls R&R! I'm doing another story too so read it once I upload it!  
  
I do not own Yugioh!  
  
It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Joey Wheeler, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. But he was too preoccupied to notice this, or the fact that the city clock had still not been fixed. His mind was on more important things, namely his older sister and the entry form that he held in his hand. For the job that he was about to do on behalf of his sister was playing on his conscience. On the one hand there was Serenity's happiness, and Joey wanted his sister to be happy more than anything in the world. Except perhaps for her to be healthy, and that was the other thought that would not leave Joey's thoughts.  
  
About two or three months ago Joey had uncovered a terrible secret about his sister. A secret that when he had finally summoned the nerve to talk to her about, she had at first denied and then admitted. On one condition. Joey couldn't tell anyone about it. Not even their parents. Or her gymnastic coach. Which Joey thought was incredibly ironic, considering that it was Paul, Serenity's coach, who had started this downward spiral. He almost certainly hadn't realised what he had done. It was shocking how much a fleeting remark from her coach had done to Serenity. As it was his mention of the four pounds that she had put on over Christmas that made Serenity Bulimic.  
  
Joey was the only person who knew her secret. His parents hadn't noticed. His father was always absent on business and their mother never truly took enough notice of them to detect a small weight loss in her daughter. But, thought Joey as he headed towards the door marked "Applications", it wasn't a small weight loss. He guessed she must have lost two and a half stone. At least. Maybe more. He didn't know exactly when the "dieting" had begun. He remembered noticing that she had lost a few pounds around February but had forgotten all about it until his seventeenth birthday. That was when he had found out her secret. He kicked a nearby plant pot in anger and muttered to himself. "Happy Birthday Joey, by the way, your fifteen year old sister is trying to kill herself by making herself sick!" He cursed in frustration. Saying it out loud made it seem ten times worse. He would have cursed for a second time, but a stern look from a woman near him halted the words before they had left his lips. He joined the queue for "Under 18 entry" and he cast his mind back to that day approximately one month ago.  
  
He remembered it so clearly now. His mother and sister sitting opposite him at the table in that restaurant. His best friend, Tristan, sitting next to him. How their eyes had bulged as plate after plate of food had been placed in front of them! Then that cake. A mountain of chocolate and whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. Although he had required no persuading to pick up a fork and start eating, Serenity had needed more convincing. He recalled the way she had whined when their mother had placed a portion of cake in front of her. He had noticed the fraught look in her eye as she glanced at the mound of cake, and how she had argued with her mother that she was full. But she eventually consented to taking a bite, then another, until ultimately the whole slice had vanished. When she had finished she had sat back and looked at her empty plate in revulsion. When they had got into the car she had sat silently in the front seat, staring out of the window. After Tristan had been dropped home they had returned to their modest house and she had virtually sprinted into the house, almost knocking Joey flying. Angry with his careless sister he followed her upstairs to the bathroom. The door, slightly ajar, threw a beam of light onto the carpeted floor of the hall. Joey remembered standing at the door, peering into the brilliant, immaculate bathroom. He recalled watching his sister leaning over the toilet. A horrible gagging noise, and then the realisation had hit him. He tried to move away from the door but at that moment Serenity had glanced up and seen his reflection in the polished mirror. He could not fail to remember her face when she saw him. Pale and drawn, with fear and anger written in her once sparkling, now dull eyes. Their conversation had been a terse and whispered one, but it preoccupied Joey for a week. "Don't tell," she said, "I can handle it. I know what I am doing. Please don't tell."  
  
The queue shortened. Joey was two people away from the front of the line. He had to make an immense decision now. He looked down at the application form in his hand. This form was Serenity's entry for the county gymnastics final in three months time. If she came in first, second or third place in this competition she would enter the national finals. Joey knew how significant gymnastics was to Serenity. She had been training for thirteen years, waiting for a chance like this. Gymnastics was her life. Except it could mean her death. Joey looked again at the form; the words "County Final Entry Form" burned his eyes. He could not imagine the grief his sister would suffer if he turned away now. If he just walked away and didn't enter her for this competition. Even though one physical exertion could push her over the edge. Her body might not be able to take the strain. On the other hand she was training every day for hours on end, what would one competition do?  
  
-  
  
"Can I help you, young man?" It was Joey's turn. He was faced with a woman in her thirties, with bright red lipstick gleaming in the bright light. Her face glowed unnaturally in the artificial light of the reception room. Long talons extended from the tips of her fingers, painted in the same shade as her lips. These claws were poised over a computer keyboard, ready to type his sister's fate. Her short, hooked nose reminded Joey of an Eagle and at any other time he would have found her amusing. "Um.yes. I have an entry form.for my sister. Er.the gymnastics?" Joey was still unsure whether or not he was doing the right thing. His sister's health was important. But was there a point in being healthy but miserable? "Oh, right. Well, please give it here then sir, and I will register your sister's entry." However Joey still didn't hand over the form. His mind was racing. How could he tell his sister that he had shattered her dreams of being a professional gymnast? This could be her last chance. There would be talent spotters at the national final; she could get her big break. Or he could deny her an amazing chance that most girls of her age would dream of. Just because she wasn't eating a lot. Quickly he handed the piece of paper to the woman, as though it would scorch his hand if he held it for a moment longer. He watched as 'The Eagle' typed some numbers into her computer, placed the form with others of its kind on the desk adjacent to her, and printed out the proof of registration, which she handed to Joey. He stepped aside and looked at the paper. "Record Of Entry," it read. "Serenity Wheeler, Youth Section, Gymnastics." He had done it. There was no going back. Silently he pocketed the slip and swiftly made his way towards the exit. All he wanted to do was escape from the people who seemed to glare at him with accusing eyes.  
  
Now that Joey had almost convinced himself that his sister had beaten Bulimia and would have put on a couple of pounds before the competition, he was able to appreciate the building that he had just come out of. As the stood on the street by the deserted bus stop he looked up at the impressive structure, its sparkling windows reflecting the light of the late afternoon sun. He marvelled once again at the intricate carvings above the glass door, and noticed the golden plaque mounted in pride of place next to the door. Embellished upon the smooth surface were the words "Victory Mansions, Quality Sporting Agents and Coaches, Together we can strive for victory." How many times had Joey pushed through those glass doors with his sister as she tried to secure an agent to manage her career? Last year Serenity had won her first major competition and received money as a prize. Ever since that day she had travelled to Victory Mansion once a fortnight to try to arrange an appointment with a consultant, someone who could recommend a good agent and in the meantime enlighten her on what to do with her prize money. Serenity's hobby was expensive. Entry fees, training costs, new gymnastics costumes, travel costs, the list was infinite.  
  
At this moment the bus arrived. Joey climbed on, handed over his money to the driver and sat down by a window as the bus bumped its way on to his destination. The Wendy Hope Dance and Gymnastics Academy, where Serenity trained almost every day. Joey had to meet her there when her class finished and then their mother would collect them half an hour later. Looking at his watch Joey noticed that Serenity's class would be starting now and he would probably be early. He sat back and thought that, at least, he would be able to watch Serenity's class and maybe talk to her instructor about the big final three months away.  
  
Joey leapt off the bus with a spring in his step, feeling happier than he had ever done that day. Thinking about his sister he had entirely convinced himself that she had at long last beaten Bulimia. He had never caught her trying to make herself sick since his birthday. She always ate something at meal times, even if it was only a bit of salad. She would make her own packed lunch for school as well. Sandwiches, crisps, at least two pieces of fruit or vegetables, a biscuit and a couple of bottles of water or fruit juice. This seemed perfectly healthy to Joey. When Serenity wasn't at school or training she was out with friends from gymnastics. They always went out at least once a week to various pizza places, cinemas or burger bars. None of Serenity's friends had ever mentioned to Joey that Serenity wasn't eating, and Joey had repeatedly interrogated them whenever he saw them. They always laughed and joked that Serenity ate like a pig and that they wished that they could eat as much as her and stay slim! Joey smiled to himself as he made the short stroll to Wendy Hope's. His sister was unquestionably on the road to recovery.  
  
Joey pushed his way through the heavy oak door of The Wendy Hope Academy. This building was exceptionally different to Victory Mansions. It was warm and inviting. The exterior was old and lonely looking. It stuck out a lot in its position, sandwiched between office blocks and retail shops. Beautiful yet frightening gargoyles prowled around each window and above every door. A mythical angel above the main entrance wove her enchantment over the malevolent creatures, forcing them into peaceable submission. A brass knocker on the slightly rotting door hung loosely but made a wonderful hollow sound the moment anyone attempted to use it. The sound seemed to resonate off the pillars in the main entrance, yet every footstep was silenced on the immaculate crimson carpet. Potted plants overflowed onto the walkways as if forgetting that they were no longer in the untamed wilderness. The walls were covered in certificates, medals and photos of winning dancers and gymnasts. These photos were of a diverse genre, some in black and white, and others in full and vivid colour.  
  
At the end of the main corridor was a splendid trophy cabinet, the contents of which gleamed and sparkled in all their proud glory. Each one told of a different triumph and victory. Gold, silver, bronze and a hundred other colours more vibrant than those of the rainbow twinkled and shone for all to see, and none to touch. Joey could not help being drawn towards the cabinet. It extended from floor to ceiling filling the entire wall at the end of the passageway, and there was not one inch of supposedly red velvet that lined the bottom of the case on show. Trophies were crammed in every available space, but even this did not detract from each individual's glory. Joey gasped as a white gold trophy taller than himself caught his eye. It stood centre stage and seemed to take precedence over the smaller ornaments, making them almost look insignificant in comparison. Joey read the minute inscription so intently that he did not notice a shadow fall upon the glass.  
  
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"Awe-inspiring isn't it?" The voice was old but friendly. The soft sound echoed in the deserted corridor, sending pleasant shivers down Joey's spine. He did not even turn around to respond. "Magnificent," he murmured softly, not taking his eyes from the dazzling statuette. "Took a lot of hard work, mind." said the voice. "Sweat, blood and tears. I don't think I ever stopped training to achieve that particular award." Joey turned round and saw that he was face to face with an elderly but commanding lady. She was slightly built, but with long, slender arms and legs and a warm smile. Joey immediately liked the woman but he could not tell why. He also recognised her. As if she were some distant relative whom you see once as a child and then meet again at a family reunion ten years later. The kind of relative who gives you an ancient hand knitted jumper and you say "How lovely!" meaning, "I'll never wear it but thanks anyway!"  
  
"I don't suppose you recognise me?" The woman broke his chain of thought. Joey was forced to shake his head even though he knew that somewhere in the back of his mind that he did, in fact, know to whom he was speaking. "I am Wendy Hope. You must be Serenity Wheeler's older brother. Let's see, Wallace is it? No it's William." "Joey." He corrected her, "How did you know?" "I never forget a face dear, or a name, well apart from yours but I nearly had it. My, I remember when you first came into my office with your parents and your sister. She was just four and wanted to start a dance class but I looked at her and I said to myself, "Wendy, you have a natural gymnast in front of you" and I told her that she was to join my gymnastics class as soon as possible. We can't let talent like that slip away can we now?" Wendy paused, realising that she was losing the plot and her listener. Her eyes strayed away from Joey's and towards the trophy he had been admiring.  
  
"And now Serenity has set her sights on the top. But it takes a lot to get there. I just hope that she doesn't fall into the trap that many of her standard do. I myself was a victim at one stage, ruined my career." She sighed heavily and Joey noticed that she was not slender, as he had first thought, but very thin and bony. "Excuse me, Miss Hope. What trap could Serenity fall into?" Joey felt as if he had missed part of the conversation. As if he had left altogether this conversation and returned when the subject had changed. "Oh that. It is nothing. Serenity, she is too clever, too sensible, to do what I did." Joey's words almost caught in his throat as a thousand worries flooded freely back into his thoughts. "Too sensible to do what?" "Oh nothing dear, just let food rule her life. Anorexia I think they call it nowadays, or Bulimia." She spat out the words as if they cursed the very ground that she stood on as she uttered them. "Filthy, nasty stuff. Can ruin the very best of gymnasts. Of course it is very hard to diagnose, or cure come to think of it. But I shouldn't worry your little head about things like that. Now, your sister is in the class session now, the gallery is upstairs, you can observe her from there if you so desire." "But I." began Joey. However Wendy had finished her little chat and there was no getting her back to the subject once she had made up her mind that it was done. "And don't disturb the coach dear, he's under rather a lot of strain training all these pupils for the national qualification round. Very arduous work you understand. Is Serenity entering?" "Yes." "Good, good. Now run along young man, I am obliged to get back to the air raid shelter to meet Emmeline Pankhurst. We must discuss the current situation in Mongolia." She hurried back down the corridor and Joey remembered Serenity telling him that, at times, Wendy could be quite mad.  
  
Joey pushed open the viewing gallery door and was met by a blur of red and gold whirling from ropes, vertical frames, and beams and leaping across the floor. He settled himself on a rather uncomfortable plastic seat at the front and squinted, looking for his sister. He spotted her talking animatedly to the trainer. A tall girl practising on the horizontal bars caught his attention. These were two thin poles, one roughly four metres off the ground, the other one metre lower. The gymnast was somersaulting between the bars, catching each at the last moment and swinging around it before launching herself daringly towards the other bar and looping that too. She swung herself over the top, somersaulted in mid air and caught the bar again deftly, now going backwards. She lunged for the higher bar, caught it and performed another almighty swing before dismounting and landing on both feet, facing him. Joey silently applauded her. She curtsied quickly and laughed. The girl was Mai; a close friend of Serenity's. Joey knew her well as she was often at their house. She waved and came jogging over, but the coach yelled for her to come back and she was forced to return without talking to Joey. She looked more bothered about this than Joey was. At that moment his sister caught his attention just below the viewing gallery. Crouching on the floor he looked over the bar. He was quite a way above Serenity but he could just hear what she was shouting above the cacophony of talking girls, thuds on mats and whistles from the ever-reddening coach.  
  
"Well, did you enter me?" Joey arranged his face into what he hoped was a look of confusion. "The competition Joey, did you give in my application form?" Joey bit his lip and said "Oops!" "Joey, oh my God! How could you forget? The closing date was today!" She was almost hysterical; Joey could hardly keep up his pretence any longer. He smiled, "I couldn't!" "Oh," she was still angry but she smiled. "Thanks, I owe you one!" "You do!" "Serenity Wheeler!" Her coach was yelling at her from the centre of the gymnasium. "Get on that equipment now or I'll make you do a handstand for ten minutes, and I mean it!" "He does mean it," she sighed, "Slave driver! Catch you later!" With that she jogged over to the apparatus that Mai had just finished with. As she did so Joey noticed just how thin she really looked. She was pale and drawn, the bags under her eyes were very noticeable, even through the inch of concealer covering her face. Her arms and legs were so thin they looked as though they could shatter if you barely touched them. Her skin was paper-thin. Her hair no longer shone like spun gold but hung lank and greasy, tied tightly back into a ponytail, accentuating her all too obvious cheekbones. She was not the attractive and slim sister that he had remembered when handing in her form. She was grossly underweight and looked as though she hadn't had any sleep for days. She looked disgusting, stick-like, and almost dead. The lines of her red and gold gymslip showed every rib and bone in her body. It puckered over her once rounded chest and there was a visible air pocket over her stomach as she dusted her hands in chalk, to help her to grip the bars. As she leapt up wards and reached to seize the lower bar Joey gasped. His sister wasn't just thin, she was skeletal!  
  
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Now that Joey truly saw how terrible his sister looked he could hardly stand watching her. Every time that she swung from bar to bar her bones seemed to jar together and her muscles and sinews strained at each movement. He watched as her faced grew pale and determined. She abruptly stopped and landed, cat-like, on the ground halfway through her routine. Shaking her head and blinking hard she leapt upwards and began again, leaping, launching, swinging and twirling. It happened in a second. Her hand seemed to slip on the high bar in a cloud of chalk. She flew higher into the air as the momentum of her movement flung her forwards. Over the edge of the crash mat. She hit the ground with a resounding crack and lay motionless. Joey yelled out. Several girls screamed. The coach and a few girls were running towards her, Mai among them. Joey sized up the drop to the floor below from the gallery. It was too high. Panic-stricken her sprinted up the stairs and out of the door into the corridor. He hurtled along the labyrinthine passages of the academy for what seemed like an eternity. Several times he lost his way and had to hurriedly retrace his steps. Gasping for breath he sprinted almost blindly through door after door, not knowing if he was still on the correct path, until he turned and saw the large door to the gymnasium.  
  
He flung it open just as one girl returned from the reception after calling an ambulance. Joey pressed through the crowd of shaking girls congregated at the end of the hall, to the opposite end of where a small crowd of around ten people had gathered. He pushed his way towards his sister, but to no avail. The miniature throng just pushed him backwards. Mai spotted him and yelled something that Joey, his head and heart pounding, didn't hear. Instantly the crowd parted and Joey saw his sister lying on the floor in a crumpled heap. He could not tell what was blood and what was her. He gazed, disbelieving at his sister. He could hardly recognise her. She looked like a limp, rag doll that had been carelessly thrown on the floor by its owner. Her eyes stared blankly at him, glazed and unseeing. As he gazed into those vacant orbs he sensed four men push past him and start to gently move his sister onto a stretcher. He was aware of someone talking to him and wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. The blanket felt cold and unfamiliar. In this dreamlike state he followed his sister's limp body towards the waiting ambulance. An arm restrained him as he made to get into the ambulance with her, but he looked at the stranger holding him back and the man let go without a word and helped him into the ambulance. Quivering he lowered himself into a chair as he watched paramedics jostle around Serenity, speaking urgently to one another as they sped off towards the hospital, sirens screeching like some unearthly beast. He was vaguely conscious of the journey, but all he remembered was watching the thick, scarlet blood seep slowly across the crisp, white pillowcase and the acrid stench of the life-giving liquid that was steadily seeping out of his sister. Then everything began to whirl and he couldn't recall anything else.  
  
-  
  
A week later Joey felt strong enough to return to the hospital for the first time. He had only stayed for a few hours on that fateful day, suffering from shock. But as he had left, being guided by a portly matron, he had glimpsed his sister in intensive care. The sight had almost made him faint again. A hundred tubes wound their way in and out of several whirring machines; most of these tubes were attached to Serenity, going into her hands, arms, nose and mouth. There were wires connected to her fingers and head whilst machines turned out endless reels of complicated graphs and charts which one doctor was carefully checking. Another doctor was talking to his mother, who was standing with her back to Joey. He had looked away. He blamed himself for Serenity's accident. He hadn't told anyone about her eating disorder. He had been sure that this had caused her accident and he could not forgive himself. Now Joey walked quickly and steadily towards the ward. His mother had told him when she returned home that evening that Serenity was, at long last, out of intensive care and was on the road to recovery. Joey peeped through the door to Serenity's room. She sat surrounded by teddies, flowers, chocolates and a thousand bunches of grapes from well-wishers. She also had company. Mai sat next to her, looking as pale as Serenity, who for now was sleeping peacefully. Joey tapped on the door gently before walking in. Mai glanced up and Joey could see that she had been crying. Her eyes sparkled with fresh tears as he walked up to Serenity's bed, kissed his sister on her bony cheek and sat down opposite Mai.  
  
"It's all my fault," she whispered. "I never told you. I knew that she wasn't eating and I never even told her brother. The nurse just explained it all to me. How she wasn't eating enough or was throwing it up, and her body couldn't take it. She just got weaker and weaker until that final exertion did it. She collapsed and she broke both arms, hit her head, dislocated a hip and damaged her back and all because her body finally gave in. She was killing herself and I never told anyone." Mai gasped for breath hollowly and she fought to speak through ever-loudening sobs. "I even made myself sick to be like her and I never told you what she was doing!" Tears poured down Mai's already damp cheeks. Black streaks of mascara down her cheeks showed the path of previous torrents of tears. Joey had never seen Mai without perfectly applied make-up before. He had once thought her to be steadfast and indomitable. An unbreakable and perfect entity. Now he saw her in another light, looking pale, frightened and lonely, yet somehow more human.  
  
"I knew." Joey said softly. "It's my fault. I saw her inducing vomiting but she promised that she would stop. I believed her. Even though I knew that she would do anything to be better at gymnastics I believed her. I entered her into that stupid competition, but I knew." "I guess neither of us are very good friends." Mai turned solemnly to face Joey. "That day when I tried to talk to you. Before Serenity's accident. I was going to tell you everything. How she always threw away her lunch and made herself sick. How she never ate anything when we went out, she always said that she had already eaten." "It's not your fault." Joey leaned over and gently patted her shaking shoulder. "She was scheming, she knew what she was doing and who she was lying to. She had it all planned out. None of us could have done anything. She had us all wrapped round her little finger." "But I could have stopped the cause of it all. You know that it started when Paul, our coach, told her to loose the weight that she put on over Christmas?" Mai was calmer now and returning to the old Mai that Joey knew. "I guessed that much from what she said that night. She was quite upset." He recalled. "He kept on at her. He does it to all of the best students. He tells us that to be better we have to fly higher and faster. He says that to do that we have to be slimmer, as slim as we can get. I used to wish that he would say it to me, I was always jealous of the extra training that he gave Serenity. I guess Serenity took his comments to the extreme!" "No one could have known. You are not to blame. You stayed her friend even when you were keeping her secret and you never betrayed her. No one could have foreseen this. No one could have stopped this."  
  
In saying this Joey felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. In convincing Mai that she was not held responsible for his sister's accident, he had also convinced himself. He managed a smile, the first in days. His chin lifted as the smile spread, and his whole face felt instantly revitalised. Seeing his smile Mai's face also twitched before the corners of her mouth began to turn up. The sorrow in her expression seemed to just melt away and suddenly she looked like her old self again, commanding and radiant. In a sudden movement she stood up and walked to his side of the bed. "Tell her I dropped by." With that comment she touched Serenity's hand, briefly looked at Joey and left through the door, leaving it slightly ajar behind her. Joey was about to get up and close it when he felt some movement on the mattress that his hand was resting on.  
  
-  
  
Nervously he looked down and saw the slightest twitch in his sister's hand. Her eyelids flickered and Joey could have sworn that he saw a slight sparkle in her eye. He looked apprehensively at the door, not knowing whether or not he should fetch a nurse. It opened at that moment to reveal Mai, framed in the light of the doorway. "I forgot my." she began, but quickly stopped seeing Serenity. She crossed the room in an instant and resumed her previous position beside her friend.  
  
Joey looked back at his sister and gently placed his hand on her pale, thin one. He felt a slight pressure on his hand as Serenity squeezed it. He looked at her gaunt face as saw that her eyes were open and she was smiling. He tried to speak but swallowed deeply and tried to fight back a tear that threatened to spill down his cheek. Serenity smiled again and looked at Mai, who unlike Joey had not won her battle with her tears. Fresh water cascaded down her face and collected on the sheet of Serenity's bed, where it joined a thousand other tears that she had cried next to her comrade. Serenity turned back to Joey and looked him in the eye before uttering a few words to her brother. "I'm still going to that competition in three months."  
  
-  
  
Joey pushed his way through the aisle, stepping on feet and apologising profusely as he joined his mother in her seat. He sat down nervously and looked around again. He could see Yami, Yugi and Mr. Mouto a few rows in front of him, and in front of them sat Tristan, Bakura and Tea. Beneath them lay the apparatus set up for the gymnastics final, with mats reflecting the iridescent glow from the lights that seemed to be miles above them. Joey could not contain his nerves. This would be the first time since her accident that Serenity would be out there, on the floor with her fellow gymnasts. Her progress had been quite remarkable over the past three months, although she was still not quite fully recovered. Deep down Joey believed that she was not ready for this moment. Nevertheless his sister did not lack courage in her convictions. She was intent on appearing in this competition and he could not have stopped her if he had tried. He glanced over to the doors through which the gymnasts would enter, there was still no sign of them opening. He once again gazed at the parallel bars that had haunted his dreams for weeks after Serenity's misfortune. They looked so harmless, merely two poles. At least, they looked so harmless now. They had seemed higher in his dreams. He could hardly believe that he was watching Serenity do this. He certainly wouldn't have thought it possible three months ago, when doctors were pessimistic about her recovery. How wrong those doctors had been. Serenity had not been semi-paralysed by her injuries, except her smile was not as extensive as it used to be.  
  
At that moment the doors at the end of the hall opened and competitor after competitor streamed out. Red, yellow, green, blue and a hundred other colours surrounded the edges of the room as each gymnast took their position at their team station in their multicoloured gymslips. Mai looked on top form, and already a silver medal hung proudly around her neck. Joey squinted through the crowd for Serenity, and then he saw her. She looked marvellous in bright red and gold. Even her wheelchair was festooned with colourful ribbons as an official pushed her towards the stage at one end. Another official joined him and together they lifted the chair with Serenity in it onto the stage and left via a side door. Serenity deftly wheeled herself over to the microphone, where the Mayor stood overseeing the activities. Kindly he lowered the microphone so that it was in front of Serenity.  
  
In some ways Joey was glad that she wasn't competing. Nonetheless he was so tense for Serenity that he could not relax for a moment. Judging by Serenity's face she wasn't so undisturbed either. Her face was white but set in a determined frown. As the crowd silenced Joey watched her take a deep breath and felt his mother stiffen beside him. This whole experience had been an eye-opener for her. She had begun to spend more time with them since Serenity had come out of hospital. Joey suspected that she still felt guilty that she hadn't noticed that her own daughter was so ill. Now however, she was more like a mother to them than she had ever been, which Joey did not object to. He watched as Serenity began her well-rehearsed speech.  
  
"Around a year ago I began to feel self-conscious about myself. Especially about my weight. I was never the skinniest person in my gymnastics group and I was certainly not the best. I heard that to be good at gymnastics you had to be extremely slim, so that you could fly higher and faster. The fact that I was a perfect weight never crossed my mind. I wanted to be perfect. I wanted to please everyone. I began to diet sensibly but it didn't have any effect, or not the effect that I wanted. I tried not eating, and sometimes it worked. One day I tried to make myself sick. It was horrible. The retching and choking followed by the horrific sensation of vomiting. I felt disgusted at myself afterwards but I thought that it was the only way that I could lose weight. I kept up this practise of missing meals whenever I could, and throwing up when I was forced to eat. My friends and family didn't notice at first, I was clever in hiding my habit. They say that you can't keep anything from you family and this was true. My big brother caught me vomiting on his birthday after I had eaten more then I had wanted to. I swore him to secrecy saying that I had 'it' under control. I'm still not sure whether or not he believed me but he never said anything. Weeks later, he came to watch me train and this was when I had my accident. At the time I was suffering from blackouts and lapses in concentration but no one had noticed. In retrospect I wish that some one had.  
  
I was practising on the parallel bars when I fainted again. I crashed to the floor and my injuries were extensive. I was taken to hospital and spent a week in intensive care, and a further three weeks in hospital before I was allowed to leave. Even then I had to have constant supervision. I have not left my bed and wheelchair since the accident three months ago. I have not walked or run or done a handstand for so long I think that I have forgotten how to. Eating again has been difficult. Each meal presents a new challenge but every mouthful is one step to recovery.  
  
I wanted to come here to tell my story in order to warn all of you out there that making yourself sick or starving yourself is not the answer. I thought that I could control it, and look what happened to me. If anyone needs help or knows someone who needs help I urge you to speak up. People like me need help and support to get through their problems." Serenity glanced at Joey, who winked at her supportively. "I couldn't have got thorough this without the support of my friends and family. Without them I couldn't be doing this."  
  
Slowly she put her hands on the arms of her chair and began to push herself upwards. Her arms shook violently and he face grew pale. Joey gasped as he watched his sister, his almost crippled sister rise a few inches from the seat of her wheelchair and instantly knew what she was trying to do. Leaping to his feet he began to clap slowly whilst watching his sister. He noticed Mai join in with his rhythmic beat and felt his mother stand and do the same. Throughout the stadium people were standing and clapping with him as Serenity, bit by painful bit, levered herself upwards. The concentration on her face was evident and her mind was set. At a snail's pace she rose from her seat until, finally she was there. Standing unsupported on the ground, her wheelchair forgotten, she straightened up, smiled and waved.  
  
The stadium erupted into a roar as people jumped in the air, shouting, chanting, whistling and (in Joey's case) crying. Cameras flashed repeatedly, each owner wanting to take a photo of the "crippled" girl. People hugged each other and Joey could see his sister, a grin splitting her face, as a crowd of her friends ran towards her. He was aware of his mother collapsing into her seat, sobbing at 'her baby'. Through the din he could just hear his sister say two last words into the microphone. "Thanks 'Bro.' " 


End file.
